Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Aug 12, 13

scienceAug 11, 2026351,996

The Perseid meteor shower will peak overnight on 12 and 13 August, offering the best chance to see dozens to more than 100 meteors per hour in ideal conditions. Astronomers say viewing conditions are promising because the peak coincides with a new moon, so there will be no bright moonlight to wash out faint meteors. A deep partial solar eclipse will be visible in the UK in the early evening before sunset, and a total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Europe such as Spain, though seeing meteors during the eclipse is unlikely except by extreme luck. The Perseids come from debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle, whose solid core measures about 26 km and which orbits the Sun every 133 years. For best results, choose a location away from city lights, give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adapt to darkness, and look toward the widest unobstructed area of sky between midnight and dawn. UK forecasts predict largely clear skies across most of England and Wales, with more cloud and the risk of showers in northern England, Northern Ireland, and much of Scotland, so local weather will determine visibility for many observers.

Duncan Crombie

@the-art-of-web.com

Don't forget to look up tonight, if you're somewhere where the sky is dark 🌠 #Perseids "Golden Meteor Shower" #synthart

minimalist graphic gouache on darkblue paper, flat opaque colour shapes, hard edges, simplified silhouettes, sparse brushwork, limited palette, large uninterrupted areas of background, isolated shapes separated by negative space, unfinished ragged paint edges, a shower of small luminous golden meteors over silhouetted Carpathian mountains, layered valleys, strong visual flow --no frame, borders --ar 5:7 --stylize 150 --v 8.2

139345d ago

Andrew Halliwell4

Tomorrownight's likely to be even more interesting, what with the partial eclipse close to sunset AND the meteors.

dragonsegg.bsky.social3

It’s my birthday today. Every year I have been able to, I go out to watch the meteors since I was 10 or so. It always strikes wonder and joy

William Logan2

I'm in the Pacific Northwest, too much smoke.😔

Antonia Frasier2

Thank you. Heavy cloud cover in my area. High hopes for tomorrow night. 🤞🏽

scrappydoob.bsky.social2

Thanks 🙏 for the reminder 😊

Stephen Campbell1

I did. It was gorgeous. ✨

Quoting this

Brilliant Bill2

And it will look absolutely nothing like this!!!

PBS News

@pbsnews.org

Skygazers in many countries, including the United States, are about to get a double dose of celestial events. Both a solar eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower will be visible across the sky.

11344d ago

Neon Genesis Ewangelion

@ewacat.bsky.social

OH HOLY SHIT WEDNESDAY HAS A PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE *AND* METEORS??? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

8345d ago

Cheese & Jam53

With the eclipse, the meteors, and the planetary alignment, all happening at once, I'd like to suggest we keep careful track of all children born this Wednesday.

Neon Genesis Ewangelion28

time to flip a coin: is this awesome or is this the beginning of a Day of the Triffids plot

Sebas22

There's a six planet alignment too so it's definitely the apocalypse Personally I'm just happy we're getting an aesthetic one instead of the grey slop armageddon we've been seeing

Ant Dan4

And this as well. Apparently.

A Bompstable Cat1

Our ancestors would have been wickermanning the shit out of people this weekend.

ian.fenrisgames1

just been out to find the best local viewing spot using the extended hand method for prediction. that's me and Rainy set for tomorrow night

Quoting this

Dave Turner44

It's my 50th birthday on Wednesday. The universe is not pissing around when it comes to celebrating it.

Brainmage.itch.io16

I can't explain it, but I genuinely think this viral marketing for No Man's Sky. Liok at the work they've put in over the last decade. I wouldn't put it past them.

Natalie P (is not a vampire) 🦇15

It's going to be so hot that I know I'll miss it through napping, and... ugh. I don't WANT to be a Triffids survivor. It's so much effort.

Kate Watson15

Damnit, why is there never a spare virgin around to sacrifice when you need one?

The Rascal King of Gregging3

Nice try Triffids, you're not tricking me.

Nrrdule Poirot3

Meteors == Triffids Solar Eclipse == Superpowers Guess we're using the superpowers to fight the Triffids then

Scientific American

@sciam.bsky.social

Skygazers are in for a treat on August 12, as one of the most spectacular meteor showers coincides with a total solar eclipse 🌠 www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

4044d ago

Chris Lintott

@chrislintott.bsky.social

Broadcasting the sound of the Perseid meteor shower from on top of the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square isn’t the oddest thing I’ve done, but it is up there…

3945d ago

Chris Bianchi

@bianchiweather.bsky.social

Perseid meteor shower outlook for Colorado: Might be a bit cloudy for northeastern Colorado (esp Denver) on Wednesday night, best bet is probably in the mountains, and the further south and west you go. #COwx

3545d ago

Phil Plait

@philplait.bsky.social

Also: how to watch the Perseid meteor shower at its peak Wednesday night! This issue of my newsletter is free! Just like every Monday. You should sign up. For free. Free. badastronomy.beehiiv.com/subscribe

2545d ago

AJ 🌧

@dovexii.bsky.social

partial solar eclipse wednesday evening and peak viewing of the perseid meteor shower that night, wuewuewue ✨️ reminders are set!!

3144d ago

𝖙𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖍 🦷🌿1

Praying for clear skies for us both!!

David Blanchflower BSc

@davidbflower.bsky.social

Perseid meteor shower reaches peak: When and where to catch a glimpse. Need decent weather. 🔭 🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

2045d ago

Lorna

@florilegia.bsky.social

It's going to be a new moon on the 12th too, so it's an extra good time to be looking for the Perseids! There's a helpful guide for UK-based folks here

1445d ago

Ian Denton

@iand777.bsky.social

The old Rook sits expectantly atop the Ash, as the light begins to go - he croaked to the kids - 'it's the first night of the Perseid meteor showers, keep your eyes peeled'. #Corvids #Perseids

1944d ago

🦝 Socks 🐭

@socksfur.bsky.social

Solar eclipse and a meteor shower in one day? It's more likely than you think! Okay, okay, I should have done this video last week. But knowing my audience y'all would have forgotten by now so doing it the day before is good. #perseids #eclipse #outerspace

2044d ago

Christian Fröschlin

@chrfrde.bsky.social

An inner city location is not ideal for observing meteor showers but caught myself a bright #Perseid here. The meteor appears in a single 1 sec exposure of a small sensor planetary cam with a 4.5 mm CCTV lens. The image is a maximum stack of 21 frames to reduce background noise. #astrophotography